Cheers Bar and Grill liquor license renewed following controversy
See Also
New information from the Indiana State Excise Police revealed a bouncer employed by the bar took bribes ranging from $10 to $20 from underage drinkers trying to get into the bar.
ABC57 spoke to the bar’s owner over text following an Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco board meeting Wednesday, where they voted to renew Cheers Bar and Grill’s liquor license for the next year.
Prior to the raid, the bar had received more than a dozen complaints involving public intoxication, fraudulent IDs, and illegal consumption of alcohol.
The owner says a corrective action plan has been submitted to the state and changes at the establishment have already paid off, with zero calls to the police in the past four months.
He says Cheers has a new security team, ID scanner, and is shifting focus to a more family-oriented business plan.
“I want to say with absolute unequivocal certainty I as the owner had “zero” knowledge they were taking money at the door; I’m beyond hurt and frustrated… I take responsibility for the decision to hire them, and I also fired them the second I found out. I just hope the city and customers give us another chance,” said Steve Mihajevic Owner Cheers Bar & Grill.
ABC57 also spoke to other liquor stores and smoke shops on State Road 933 who say they are also on the lookout for fake IDs and say many appear real and get through scanners.